Does anyone have any insight into this world ?

I've agreed that my daughter can try this career path, but the instructor courses look fairly expensive and with no guarantee of a job at the end.

I'm OK to pay the money, just want to ensure it's being spent well and puts her in the most employable position at the end.

I would look at it very carefully, check that the course that she is doing will be widely accepted across different countries and ski schools.

As far as I can remember the most common route in the uk is through the BASI which is a member of ISIA http://www.basi.org.uk/index.aspx

Where is she thinking of wanting to teach. Think about the makeup of th instructor teams in resorts you have been to, in places like France its dominated by ESF, where most of the instructors are middle aged French men who do it for the winter season then go back home, where as places like whistler are more cosmopolitan in their staffing.

It's all down to where she wants to take it. If she just wants to teach beginners to board at the local ski slope, or wants do do more advanced things abroad. I looked into it many years ago when I was a teenager thinking it looked fun, but the reality was different, yes you get to spend the winter in the mountains, yes you get to ski all day, but first and foremost you are there to teach. And unless you have an aptitude for that (which I don't) then it could prove very difficult. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
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Thanks - I looked into BASI - it seems that the US, Canada, UK & NZ are all kind on interchangeable in terms of the qualification. There are plenty of firms that will take your money to get you to level 2, but it's unclear from there.

France seems to be a completely different system - so that's off the list, so North America is probably favourite.

I'm thinking of paying for her to get qualified in either NZ or Argentina over the summer, so that she can try to get employment in the northern hemisphere next winter.

I'm not sure where it will take her, but she doesn't want to go to university, has a decent aptitude for teaching (I think) so why not.....

Hi just had serendipitous chance meeting with a mate whose whole family are ski instructors. He says go for the Irish Republic qualification as it's cheaper and there are more opportunities at the end (due to the current anti-basi stance of the French!)

Thanks - I'll look into the Irish route

I am the President of the Cambridgeshire Alps ski instructor certification programme. For a mere £9,999, I can provide your daughter with a top level certificate. It might not be accepted by all ski nations but on the magnificent winter slopes* of Cambridgeshire, I can assure you it is golden.

* Dry slopes not included.

It does feel a bit like that - the cost isn't too far off the mark - but it's an internationally recognised qualification - however, it seems that you then need practical experience to get a job - that old catch 22